What is this?

Monkey has passed some sort of developmental milestone(s) recently but I’m not sure I can put the changes into words to explain why I’m just so excited and amazed by him these days.

First, there is the language.  He is repeating just about everything we say these days.  Duhdee called him a “punk” for some little prank he pulled this weekend and Monkey immediately piped in “Punk!”  very clearly.  He is saying words we didn’t even know he knew….words that we don’t typically use.  An example…he walked through the dining room this weekend, looked up at the wall and said “clock” as he passed by…it happens at least once a day.  He is very clearly saying “I want …” 

Beyond the words though there is the inflection.  He is putting an appropriate amount of emotion behind his words.  Example, if there is something under the couch he will say “Look under,” and point.  If we are going over the massive bridge into Maine he will shout and gesture.  “LOOOOK!”  He’s also using more appropriate facial expressions.  There was something on the top of the refrigerator that he wanted and he look at me while he was gesturing to it and raised his eyebrows.  If we are asking him yes or no questions he responds appropriately and he puts varying levels of excitement into his voice depending on what we’re asking. 

This morning, while he was eating breakfast, I pointed at each of the photos in the built-in hutch and asked him who or what questions and he answered them all.   He was so engaged that I grabbed a stack of flash cards (that he has refused to even look at for ages) and we went through the entire stack.  He was answering a variety of questions.  Things he didn’t know he would look at me and wait for me to tell him what it was.  If he told me the wrong answer (fox instead of dog)  I would correct him ((There was one I didn’t correct, I showed him a picture of a girl and he said “Umma” :-D)) and he’d repeat the right answer.  He never once told me all done.  He was ENJOYING himself and smiling.  He looked quite proud of himself.

He is demonstrating his long term memory.  An example, on Saturday he pointed to the top of Duhdee’s desk and signed “Broken.”  I saw that he was pointing toward his Thomas engine and picked it up, Duhdee confirmed that it was broken.  BUT, he has two so I suggested we go look for the other one.  He has two bins of train gear, one with engines and cars and another with track.  I pointed at the one with the engines in it and asked him if it was in there and he told me no.  I, of course, looked anyway and he was right.  I asked him if it was in the other bin and he just watched me and sure enough it was buried under pieces of track.  Another example, in the past, when he had trouble sleeping, I would bring him to the couch with me and we’d set up camp there with pillows and blankets.  It’s been ages since we have done this. This weekend he turned it into a game.  He told me he wanted me to cover him with his blanket but then ran to his room.  I thought he wanted his big Thomas blanket too and he agreed to that.  I grabbed it and left the room expecting him to follow me but he was no where to be seen.  I went back to his room and he was just ready to leave.  He looked at me and said “Pillow, bear.”  He’d stayed to grab the rest of the necessary gear 🙂  I let him lay down on the couch and he told me to lay down.  I laid down and he looked and told me pillow and blanket.  I went to grab mine and joined him.  Then he told me to close the drapes, lol.   The next day he made Duhdee do all the same things.

So this is all really long winded and a lot of it sounds like pretty basic stuff that he’s done in the past but there is something more.  There seems to be an added purpose in his words and actions.  There seems to be more maturity.  I guess maybe you would have to see it ((or be his Mommy)) to fully appreciate it 🙂

Oh, also, this morning when we were discussing the pictures I pointed to one of my wedding photos.  He said “boat,” which was right but I pointed at my back and said “This is Mama.”  He then repeated, clear as day, “Mama.”  It gave me chills, I don’t mind being Umma…but I do love being Mama.  Duhdee has been working on “Mommy” with him too.  I’ll pass out from the cuteness when he gets that one 😉